Obituary: Lisa MaxfieldLisa Maxfield CLARKSVILLE — Lisa Fivecoat Maxfield, 85, of Altus, passed away Tuesday, May 24, 2016. She was born Aug. 29, 1930, in Clarksville to Jesse Valdez and Irene Fivecoat. She is preceded in death by her parents; two daughters; one son; and two grandchildren. She is survived by one daughter, Susie Daniel; two sons, Danny Daniel and Johnny Long; daughter-in-law, Judy Daniel; four sisters, Jane Konzem, Brenda Walls, Ginger Cantrell and S...

Obituary: Bea StroupBea Stroup DARDANELLE — Bea Stroup of Russellville passed away from this life on Tuesday, May 24, 2016, at Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home in Russellville. A celebration of her life in Christ will be at the First United Methodist Church of Russellville at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 29, 2016, by Rev. Roy Smith and Rev. Gail Brooks. Rather than flowers, please make memorial donations to one of the following ministries that Bea loved: More Than Manna ...

ASBTDC at Tech wins awardThe Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center regional office located at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville received a 2016 Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Center Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration during a luncheon at Embassy Suites in Little Rock on May 3. The award recognized the center at Arkansas Tech as No. 1 in a five-state region that includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahom...

ATU Trustees approve budget, 1.86% tuition increase and several building upgradesTrustees approved a $168.5 million operating budget at Arkansas Tech University for the 2016-17 fiscal year during a meeting at the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center on Thursday. Included in the budget is a 1.86 percent tuition increase for the Arkansas Tech campus in Russellville. Undergraduate tuition will increase from $215 per student semester credit hour (SSCH) in 2015-16 to $219 per SSCH in 2016-17. The 2016-17 budget also i...

Bond Hearings (May 23, 2016)The following individuals appeared in felony bond hearings with District Judge Don Bourne on Monday inside the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, bond amounts and anticipated charges are listed. If charged, they will appear in Pope County Circuit Court. • Andrew L. Jackson, 31, possession of a controlled substance — $7,500 Jackson was arrested on Sunday after Russellville police received a call concerning a man slapping and choki...

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Compiled by Travis SimpsonThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Man stabs boyfriend with scissorsMelvin J. Smith, 68, told District Judge Don Bourne he stabbed his boyfriend with a pair of scissors after an argument over bringing another man into the bedroom turned physical on Saturday. "He hit me in the back of the head," Smith said. "That's why I did it." Russellville Police responded to an unknown disturbance on Saturday at the 500 block of South Glenwood Avenue. When officers arrived on scene they made contact with the victim, who tol...

University of Arkansas System seeks tuition, fee increasesLITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas System has asked its trustees for tuition and fee increases for in-state undergraduate students at all of its four-year universities. Officials are seeking a 3.5 percent tuition and fee increase at the system's flagship campus in Fayetteville. If approved, the tuition and fee total at the nearly 27,000-student campus will go from more than $8,500 to nearly $8,900 for an in-state undergraduate student ta...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Funeral home fined for corpse-stacking• Judge fines funeral home in corpse-stacking case LITTLE ROCK — A judge has handed down a $50,000 fine to a central Arkansas funeral home where bodies were found stacked on top of each other in unrefrigerated areas. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza levied the fine Tuesday against Arkansas Funeral Care. Last month, prosecutors agreed to drop charges against the funeral home's owners and instead charged the company. The business then p...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Pope County Sheriff's Office forms advisory boardA newly formed Pope County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) advisory board was created to get feedback from community members. "The Sheriff had been thinking about it for a while," Ramona Woods, the Sheriff’s Administrative Assistant, said. "It is part of his desire to be more community-minded." Members of the PCSO advisory board are from all over Pope County. "There are members from Russellville, Atkins, London, Hector, Pottsville and Dover," Woods sa...

Shooting claims life on James CircleA light rain fell from the sky over James Circle as Russellville Police Officers removed the body of an unidentified 39-year-old female from the vehicle where she was shot and killed. The victim's car hopped the curb and struck a fence near Mike Nichols' bedroom after she was shot while attempting to drive the vehicle away from the scene. "I was asleep right there," Nichols said, pointing to the corner of his house, a few feet from the vehicle...

Dover School narrowly approved to add new positionDOVER — After an extended discussion, the Dover School Board narrowly approved the creation of an additional administrative position in the district, that of a Middle School Assistant Principal. Superintendent Jerry Owens began the discussion by apologizing for “putting the cart before the horse” by advertising and conducting interviews for the position without receiving board approval. He went on to present his recommendation for creating the...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Consumer Alert: Summer travel scams ruin the funLITTLE ROCK — The school year is winding down, and many Arkansans are making summer vacation plans. Whether it is a trip to the beach, an exotic location, somewhere abroad, or one of Arkansas’s many lakes or State parks, Arkansans should keep a watchful eye to avoid falling victim to vacation scams. Scam artists are using the Internet, including online advertising and social media to pitch free or deeply discounted travel deals. Many of these ...

4 insurers propose rate increases of at least 10 percentLITTLE ROCK — Four of the five insurers offering policies on Arkansas’ insurance marketplace next year under the federal health law have proposed rate increases of at least 10 percent. The Arkansas Insurance Department on Tuesday said QualChoice Life and Health, QCA Health Plan Inc., Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the national Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association have each proposed the rate increases. The department says Ambetter ha...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Commission approves rezoning lot near library for convenience storeThe Russellville Planning Commission recommended by a vote of 5-3 a request from an engineer representing Casey’s General Store to rezone property at the corner of South Arkansas Avenue and Third and Fourth Streets during its regular meeting Monday. The vote came after five people spoke against the rezoning and in favor of the Pope County Library System (PCLS) and the Russellville library, which is located behind the lot up for rezoning. Libra...

Obituary: David AllenDavid Allen David Wayne Allen, 51, of Dover, died Saturday, May 21, 2016, at Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home. Born Aug. 31, 1964, in Dover to Burl Glenn and Edith Mae McMinn Allen. He loved logging, hunting and his grandkids. He is preceded in death by his parents; three brothers; and one sister. Survivors include one daughter, Ashley Allen; one brother, Troy Allen; three sisters, Linda Hampton, Brenda Lillard and Caffie Allen; and four gra...

Obituary: Kerry AllenKerry Allen Kerry Allen, 46, died May 14, 2016, at his home in Fayetteville, Ark. He was born Feb, 24, 1970, in Norman, Okla., to Bob and Francie Allen . His public education was mainly in Norman, Okla., graduating high school in 1988. He attended Arkansas Tech University and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2003. Professionally as well as recreationally, he preferred the out-of-doors,...

Obituary: Harold EvansHarold Evans DANVILLE — Harold Edward Evans, age 89, of Bluffton, passed away Sunday, May 22, 2016, at Chambers Memorial Hospital. He was born Feb. 9, 1927, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to the late Harold and Helen Evans. He was a member of the Rover Baptist Church, Navy WW II Veteran and a photographer. He was preceded in death by his parents; and sister, Doris Hackett. Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Ruby Evans; son, Timothy Evans and wife, De...

Obituary: Martha WilliamsMartha Williams Martha Patton Williams, age 99, died on May 19, in Russellville. She was born on Dec. 23, 1916, in Dyer, Ark., to Fred and Dora Carter Patton. A graduate of the University of Arkansas, Martha worked for the Farm Security Administration from 1939 to 1941. When World War II ended, she moved with her husband to Russellville where he established his law practice. She lived most of her adult life in Russellville and in 1956 joined t...

Obituary: Mary Ann GoochMary Ann Gooch Mary Ann Gooch, 80, of Russellville, formerly of Danville, died Saturday, May 21, 2016, at Legacy Heights Nursing Home in Russellville. The daughter of Roy and Gertrude Miller Christy, she was born Nov. 4, 1935, in Harkey’s Valley, Ark. She was a member of the class of 1953 at Dardanelle High School. She was employed with Friendship Community Care for over 20 years. She was a member of the Dardanelle Church of Christ and was pre...